I love John 21, Jesus’ last appearance to the disciples in John’s gospel, containing the miraculous catch of fish and Jesus’ conversation with Peter: “Feed my sheep.” I shared my 5-point outline back in January. Today I want to focus on the fish:

Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment, for he was stripped for work, and threw himself into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards off. When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. (John 21.3 – 11, ESV)

People have been puzzled for centuries about “153 fish.” I heard a preacher decades ago say that when he was on a tour of the Holy Land, the guide told the group, “The Sea of Galilee has 153 different kinds of fish.” The preacher was very excited that the guide said that with no apparent knowledge of John 21. “A miracle! All those 153 fish were different species! God wants people from all nations to be part of his Kingdom!”

A great application, but I remember thinking at the time that it was more likely that the guide used that number when talking with Christian groups, just so they would go home and tell that story. Turns out I was right. This is the age when you can look anything up, and there are 27 species of fish in the Sea of Galilee, 19 native, and 8 introduced from elsewhere. – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_of_Galilee

People have tried to make all kinds of inferences from the “153.” I like that 153 is a “triangle number,” it’s the sum of the numbers 1, 2, 3,…, up to 17, and could be arranged in a triangle, like the ten pins in a bowling alley.

It’s also interesting that he calls Peter twice, once in Matthew 4.19:

And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

And here: “Feed my sheep…Follow me” (John 21.15 – 19) and both follow a miraculous catch of fish. (Luke 5.2 – 11).

So I wouldn’t make a big deal out of “exactly 153” other than:

• It’s a lot of fish!

• The net was not torn. (There’s room in the Kingdom for everyone!)

• The fish are there: follow Jesus’ leading and go get ‘em!

To change the metaphor…

Don’t you have a saying, “It’s still four months until harvest”? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. (John 4.35, NIV)

Here’s a new (for me) take on a familiar story:

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord…Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” (John 20.19 – 27, ESV, emphasis mine)

The Lord had a glorified body. He could pass through walls. But…he had the scars! What are the implications of that? I wouldn’t have thought about it before reading this short vignette from Katherine Wolf. Katherine is married to Jay Wolf, son of Dr. Jay Wolf, long-time pastor of First Baptist Church of Montgomery, Alabama. I’ve met the elder Jay. Katherine and Jay were living in Southern California where Katherine was a model while Jay was in law school. She suffered a massive stroke in 2008. Here’s a brief version of their story.

The photos show Katherine and Jay and Penny, the subject of the vignette, with Katherine.

Anyway, back to the vignette, sent in an email on October 22, 2022. Katherine writes:

With only three words, my friend Penny, who has Down Syndrome, recently offered one of the most intriguing and refreshing theological insights on disability I’ve ever heard. When Penny’s mom asked whether Penny thinks she’ll have Down Syndrome in heaven, Penny answered: “Why wouldn’t I?”

She’s right. Why wouldn’t she?! I couldn’t imagine a more perfect version of Penny than the one we have here and now. Heaven couldn’t improve on her.

Every experience of disability is unique and the collective story of disability is unfathomably complex—from congenital to acquired, life-affecting to life-ending, physical to cognitive—so I’m not in the business of prescribing sweeping or simplistic theological answers. But Penny’s response to a vast philosophical question invited me into a new way of approaching the tangled knot of suffering, sovereignty, healing and hurt.

Will I be “typically abled” after this life—my cerebellum restored, my face animated again, my balance regained, by double vision unified? I don’t know. But I do think the more relevant question is, why would ability matter in a place of complete and unconditional belonging and belovedness? – Katherine Wolf, hopeheals.com

I don’t know the answer either nor the implications, but Penny’s “Why wouldn’t I?” gives one pause.

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19.14, ESV)